Same principals of audit apply in research as in keeping financial accounts, i.e. documentations should be such that it is possible to go back from the balance sheet to the individual bills.

Meticulous documentation from the beginning to the end can be a tedious task especially when deadlines are to be met. However, its utility will be fully appreciated when you need to make a few modifications and rerun your analysis. The audit trail is the researchers road map of his/her quests.